35 Chapter 35 Olivia, Again (1/2)

(INITIATING EVOLUTION)

Dustin burst out of the ground, covered in crystal plates like before.Except this time, he wasn't a lizard man.He sported four legs, long and thin, like a bug.Each ended in claws that could grab and hold on if he wanted to run up trees or rocks.His body was relatively small, giving him greater aerodynamics.His head was large and flat, almost like a kite, and covered in eyespots.His mouth could open into a maw with several long, needle-covered, thin tongues, capable of darting out and injecting his prey with the special toxic mix he had already created.

Giving himself a shake to dislodge any bits of dirt that clung to him, he darted off towards the station.Thanks to the directional trait from the worm, he knew exactly which direction to head in.His PED was encased in crystals on his back, forming a type of ridge along his spine.

(EVOLUTION COMPLETE)

At this speed, he should be able to reach the station in under two hours.Just as he expected, creatures started coming out of the woodworks, after him.Most he just ran by, ignoring them.Others he took the time to shoot his tongues at, and kill, before continuing on.

He was halfway there, with a long line of dead or angry creatures behind him, when he heard a loud crack.Above him, he saw another pod rushing towards the ground.Should he check it out, or continue to the station?After only a moment of hesitation, he decided to check it out, because he would never forgive himself if it were Olivia.

”Initiate evolution: Wings to fly.”He knew it wasn't a cool name, but it worked, and he could remember it.

(INITIATING EVOLUTION: WINGS TO FLY.)

Huge wings that looked like pearlescent dragonfly wings erupted from his back.He was expecting the pain, so he was able to ignore it. Flapping them, he hurled himself into a tree, and ran up as fast as he could, launching from the top branches and taking flight.Flying was faster than running, but he had wanted to make it harder for the Josagn to attack him, so he used the trees to block him from their sight.Since he wasn't going to the base immediately, he needed to check out the pod as fast as possible.If it wasn't Olivia, he was going to head back to the station.

The pod landed in the same marshy area he had, splashing water and muck everywhere. As the pod door opened, he saw a figure fall out, and scramble for something.Shoving it into the port, the figure collapsed.

He swallowed.Isn't that what he had done?Looking towards the water, he could see a tentacle from a small squid work its way across the mud to the prone figure.Diving, he got close enough to see that it wasn't him laying in the mud, and gave a sigh of relief.

He couldn't tell if it was Olivia, but it was definitely a girl.Landing next to her, he stabbed the tentacle with one of his legs, and picked her up with his small arms.They weren't really strong enough to hold anything for long, so he flew back towards shore quickly.Being careful to avoid the trees, he lay her down and examined her.

Olivia had brown hair, and this woman had red.It was the only difference he could see.As she opened her eyes, they grew wide in fright, and he realized he probably looked like a monster about to eat her.

”Olivia?” he managed to say.It was more growl than speech, but she seemed to respond.